Makeup artists face challenge in August heat

Style mavens battle sweat as stars walk runway

Sweat is the enemy of makeup artists and stylists in the best of circumstances. But having to get stars ready for red carpet duty in the L.A. heat of late August is a particularly onerous challenge for the beauty and style mavens who will be working round the clock on Emmy weekend.

Makeup pro Valli O’Reilly says the biggest problem caused by heat is the shine factor on the face when the stars are facing the phalanx of cameras. She always advises clients to put a few blotting papers in their clutch purse or a small tub of powder that they can dab on with cotton ball. There is, however, also a danger of over-powdering, she warns.

For stylist Lawren Sample, success on the red carpet is “all about the proper underpinnings” to keep a star’s dress in place. Even for size-2 actresses, she recommends Spanx-style undergarments because they can make the whole outfit more comfortable.

All in all, Sample notes, a 15-minute sashay down the red carpet can be months in the making (choosing the dress, accessories, makeup color combos, etc.). One highlight of Sample’s career was when she got a shout-out during one such stroll from client Christina Hendricks.

When one of her clients hits the kudos catwalk, Sample can get as nervous as an ingenue at her first premiere.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into that one moment,” she says. “Sometimes I try not to watch while it’s actually happening.”